Muddied Reputations
by coffeeinanebula
Summary: Mark Hickman is still bitter toward Captain Raydor for losing his job and his career. This takes place in Hindsight: Part Two after Tao confronts Hickman, but before Emile's body is found.
She couldn't deny the relief she felt when Hickman disappeared into the elevator and she saw the floor numbers slowly decreasing. She knew this wasn't the end of his involvement with the case, but she hoped the next time they saw him that he would be wearing handcuffs.

She sighed as she made her way into the same elevator a few hours later. She ran her fingers through her hair and gently rubbed at her head, trying to calm the growing headache. It was a short ride down to the parking garage and she adjusted her hold on her purse as she stepped into the dimmer lighting of the concrete walls. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose as she started toward her car, her heels echoing off the walls and the only sound around.

She rounded the corner and started walking behind a large truck, an exhausted sigh slipping from her parted lips. After a few steps, another sound registered and she turned around, her hand moving her blazer aside to rest on her gun.

"Captain Poppins." Hickman's voice filled the open area as she faced him, her eyebrow calmly arching up. "I assumed you'd leave a lot earlier."

"I'm trying to solve a series of murders," she answered vaguely, her eyes narrowing a little behind her glasses. "Goodnight, Mark."

She watched him, unwilling to turn her back. She knew Mark and she didn't trust him. He kept his eyes on her, his arms crossed over his chest. There was silence between them for several moments before he lunged forward.

He moved too quickly and Sharon's hand barely managed to remove her gun from its holster. Her purse slid off her shoulder and she heard it this against the ground by her feet. He pinned her against the side of a truck, his hand gripping her wrist until her grip loosened. Her gun fell to the ground and he immediately kicked it away, his arm moving across her throat. It pinned her head back against the truck and she involuntarily swallowed, her eyes focused on him. His other hand twisted her arm back against the truck, painfully pinning her where she stood.

"You ruined my career," he hissed, his face inches from hers. She forced herself not to flinch or react. "You tossed me out on my ass and you're trying to do again. Because you're so prim and proper, aren't you? Sleeping with subordinate officers." His voice grew more bitter as he spoke and she swallowed again, his arm pressing firmly against her windpipe.

She shifted and he pressed harder, forcing a soft and gasped breath out of her body. "M-Mark," she started, another gasp following his name. "This won't... help your reputation."

"You've already dragged my reputation and my name through the mud. I've got nothing but a failing marriage and alcohol." He laughed and shook his head. "And I have you to thank for it all." He shifted and her eyes closed for a brief moment as she struggled to breathe.

"There are cameras. S-Someone will see." She knew it was futile. Even after all these years, she knew Mark wasn't tactless enough to forget that.

"Won't be the first time cameras missed something in a parking garage." He twisted her arm more and she could feel her skin bruising beneath his forceful touch.

He let go of her throat and she sucked in a few sharp breaths, spots dancing along her vision as she kept her eyes stubbornly open. Before she could recover, he yanked on her arm and pulled her away from the car. She reached out to push him away, but he used her momentum against her and shoved her to the ground. She felt the concrete dig into her palms and knee as she hit, immediately rolling to her side so she could look at him. He stood over her, far enough away that she couldn't kick out. She lowered her gaze long enough to find her gun, but it was too far under the truck for her to reach it.

"I saw how many careers you ruined. Good cops too, that you carelessly tossed aside. In favor of murders and rapists. What kind of cop does that?" He stared down at her as she propped herself up on her elbows. Her hands and knee stung from where she hit the ground, but she did everything she could not to react.

"They deserve justice too," she answered. She could no longer count how many times she had given this speech, oftentimes to the same officer on more than one occasion. "Excessive use of force, perjury," she emphasized the word as she watched him, "needs to be dealt with."

"Cop killers don't deserve justice. The victims do!" He stepped closer and his leg kicked out, his foot connecting with her exposed side.

She felt the air rush out of her body and it was quickly replaced with a stinging ache. Before she could breathe in, he kicked her again. She curled up with her arms wrapped around her body as he continued attacking her, harsh grunts and swears from him filling the silence.

Finally, it stopped and he stepped away, breathing heavily with a line of sweat working its way down his face. She remained curled up on the ground, unable to distinguish where one pain ended and another began.

"You're a shit cop," he growled. "And when this all comes back to bite you in the ass, when Andy cheats on you like all his other girlfriends, I'm going to be laughing." A sharp and bitter laugh punctuated his words.

"Laughing from your jail cell," she gasped, managing to look up at him.

"Shut up!" He kicked her once more and she felt her shoulder explode with pain. "Shut up!"

Her eyes squeezed closed and she heard his footsteps retreating. When the parking garage fell quiet again, she opened her eyes. Her hand lightly gripped her shoulder and she felt a wave of pain and nausea slam into her as she forced her body upright. She softly panted for breath and eased herself closer to her purse, her trembling fingers searching for her phone.

When she finally found it, it slipped from her grasp and a whimper escaped her. She tried to force it down and managed to pull her phone out as she leaned against the truck's tire. With a few small taps, Andy's number was dialing and she held her phone up to her ear, her eyes sliding closed.

"Hey, Sharon. I thought you were headed home." She barely registered his words, just that it was his calming and reassuring voice on the other end of the line.

"A-Andy..." She licked her lips and and a soft groan fell from her lips.

"Is everything okay? Are you okay?" The calm in his voice was replaced by concern and she let out a shaky breath. "Where are you?"

"Garage... Red truck," she answered, her voice growing quieter.

"Are you alone? I'm on my way. Keep talking to me, Sharon." She heard shuffling and movement on his end of the line and some more muffled words.

She struggled for words for a moment, her eyes tightly squeezes shut. "Hickman."

"Did Hickman hurt you? That bastard!" She heard the elevator ding in the background and then the call went quiet.

She dropped her phone to her lap and saw that the call had ended. She shifted carefully against the tire and felt the dirt and grit on the ground dig into her bare legs. She felt herself zoning out and the next thing she was aware of was Andy's hand on her shoulder and his face in front of hers.

"Sharon. Sharon, are you okay?" His voice was soft and she kept her gaze focused on him, but she could see movement just behind him.

"R-ribs... Shoulder." Her eyes slid closed against another wave of nausea that left her already breathless body with even less air.

"You're gonna be okay and we'll arrest that asshole." His thumb gently stroked her non-injured shoulder and he moved to her side. "The paramedics are here and I'm not going anywhere."

She shook her head a little and blindly reached for his hand. He took it and tightly squeezed her hand. "Find... Arrest him. Send..." She let out a harsh breath and shook her head again. "Send Provenza a-and Julio."

"Did you hear her, Provenza? Grab Julio and arrest Hickman," Andy relayed to the older lieutenant behind him.

"On it. He'll pay for this Captain, I promise." She managed a slight nod in response to Provenza and moved her hand to Andy's arm. She gripped it tightly and started to sit up more.

"Hey, hey. Stay still. Let me help you up, paramedics have the gurney right here." Andy's voice and hands were gentle as he watched her.

It took two paramedics and Andy to get Sharon on her feet and sitting on the gurney, her scraped up legs stretched out in front of her. They were careful to keep her shoulder immobile and she gently rested her arm across her stomach, her head leaned back with eyes closed. Pain was obvious in the tension of her body and the grimace of her face.

"Possible dislocated shoulder. Doctor will want to do X-rays to make sure no ribs are broken," a paramedic told her. The words slipped in one ear and out the other; she could only focus on Andy's hand rubbing her arm.

It took a few hours for them to finish at the emergency room. Andy finally led her out of the building, her right arm resting in a sling and her movements slow. He guided her to the passenger side of his car and helped her in, his phone ringing just as he slid inside.

"Hickman is arrested and processed," he told her after he read Provenza's message.

"Thank you," she murmured in response.

He looked over at her and briefly rested his hand on her thigh. She looked exhausted, stressed, and he could tell the heavy painkillers were still coursing through her system. He pulled his hand away to start driving, eager to get her home and in bed so she could rest.

She was quiet the entire ride home, even after he led her inside and into her bedroom. He was gentle as he helped her out of her shirt and skirt, replacing them with loose and clean pajamas. He wordlessly found a heating pad for her ribs while she climbed into bed. He helped her into a comfortable position and was surprised when she still reached for him.

"Sharon, honey, you need to get some rest," he told her gently.

"Stay," she murmured simply, her cloudy eyes looking up at him.

"I don't want to hurt you..." He carefully sat on the edge of the bed and her eyes didn't look away from him.

"Please?" she asked softly.

He looked at her and then carefully laid back. She shifted with her heating pad and an obvious wince, settling into his open arms. Her eyes closed as she rested her head against his chest, her injured arm held close to her body.

"You're gonna be just fine," he whispered soothingly. He felt her start to relax and he rubbed his hand up and down her back. "It'll be okay."

He held her until he felt her body relax in sleep. He gently shifted his hold to make sure he wouldn't hurt her and pressed a kiss to her messy hair. He wanted to make sure Hickman paid for what he had done, but he trusted the rest of their team to take care of it if it meant he could stay by Sharon's side.


End file.
